Shaivite devotion centers on honoring Shiva as the supreme reality through a rich spectrum of ritual, contemplative, and ascetic practices. In temples and home shrines alike, worship often focuses on the Shiva-liṅga, the emblem of Shiva’s formless consciousness and creative power, as well as on anthropomorphic images such as Naṭarāja, Dakṣiṇāmūrti, or Ardhanārīśvara. Ritual worship (pūjā) typically includes the offering of water, milk, honey, flowers, incense, lamps, vegetarian food, and especially bilva leaves, which are held to be particularly dear to Shiva. A central element is abhiṣeka, the ceremonial bathing of the liṅga or mūrti with substances such as water, milk, yogurt, honey, ghee, and other sacred liquids. These acts are often structured as a full sequence of worship, including invocation, bathing, clothing, adorning, and offering food, followed by ārati, the waving of lamps accompanied by hymns and mantras.

Mantra recitation and scriptural devotion form another pillar of Shaivite practice. The pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” is widely revered and repeated, often with a rosary, either silently or aloud, as a means of inner purification and remembrance of Shiva. Devotees also recite hymns and texts such as the Shiva Purāṇa, Liṅga Purāṇa, Shiva Mahimna Stotra, Rudram, and, in some regional traditions, Tamil devotional hymns like Tēvāram and Tiruvācakam. Through such chanting and study, worship extends beyond the ritual space into a sustained engagement with the theological and poetic vision of Shiva.

Inner practices of yoga and meditation complement these outer forms of worship. Shaivites may meditate on Shiva as pure consciousness, visualizing the deity in the heart, between the eyebrows, or as all-pervasive, while coordinating breath control with the internal repetition of mantras. In lineages that emphasize non-dual insight, worship gradually turns inward, aiming at the recognition that one’s own awareness is not separate from Shiva. This inward turn does not negate ritual but rather deepens its meaning, so that external offerings mirror an inner offering of mind and heart.

Daily life for many Shaivites is also marked by distinctive observances and symbols of belonging. Devotees may apply vibhūti, the sacred ash, in three horizontal lines on the body, and wear rudrākṣa beads as malas or ornaments, as signs of their connection to Shiva. Fasting is common on days considered especially auspicious for Shiva, such as Mondays, during certain sacred months, and on the night of Śivarātri, when worship and vigil are intensified. Pilgrimage to important Shiva temples and sacred sites, circumambulation of shrines, and the singing of bhajans and kīrtanas all serve to weave devotion into movement, song, and community. In some streams of Shaivism, formal initiation (dīkṣā) by a guru, who is revered as an embodiment of Shiva, and various degrees of ascetic discipline further shape the path of worship and spiritual transformation.